Specialties

Treatment Focus

Chemotherapy; tyrosine kinase therapy; immunotherapy

Key Awards

Medical Oncology

Treatment Philosophy

I first had the opportunity to treat patients with sarcoma during my oncology fellowship training. I really enjoyed the challenge of this area of oncology because of the many types of tumors and their rarity. When I meet a patient, I work to be certain the pathologic diagnosis is correct and address what we need to do to treat the disease. I collaborate with Fox Chase pathologists, radiologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists and social workers to develop the right treatment plan. We meet as a team weekly at the Sarcoma multi-disciplinary tumor board to review individual patient cases and agree on the best management.

I am also committed to developing new therapies for patients with sarcomas. The strides made in improving cancer care have come from research and clinical trials. I work closely with scientists to better understand gastrointestinal stromal tumors and other sarcomas. I aim to have research studies as a treatment option for my sarcoma patients.

I have battled sarcoma several times over the past 20 years. The first time was in 1998 when I was 54 and felt a lump on the side of my torso. Doctors at a community hospital ordered some tests that confirmed the diagnosis of fibrous spindle cell sarcoma. I was given 30 rounds of chemotherapy and continued under the medical supervision of my oncologist for 3 years.

Robert Crossfield, a 30-year firefighter who was among the team of first responders to the 9/11 disaster where he assisted at Ground Zero, is a survivor of renal and colon cancer and metastatic sarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer. Bob sought treatment at Fox Chase Cancer Center, where he was put under the care of Dr. Margaret von Mehren, Dr. Penny Anderson, Dr. Rosalia Viterbo, and Dr. Jeffrey Farma, as well as reconstructive surgeons Dr. Sameer Patel and Dr. Neal Topham. After undergoing chemotherapy and multiple surgeries, Bob is now cancer free. "I've had aggressive cancers, and multiple cancers, but today I feel healthy again,” Bob said. “This is a battle I'll never give up because I have way too much yet to see and to live for. ...I feel very grateful that we chose Fox Chase to guide us and be with us all the way through this trying time for our family.”

At 54, Peggy McCaughey is counting her blessings. In addition to her husband, Hugh, and their two daughters, Hannah Rose and Grace Kelly, she feels blessed to be alive. "I am overjoyed to share my experience about Fox Chase Cancer Center,” she says.

Peggy's journey began with heavy menstrual periods, losing hair and back pain. She shared her concerns with her gynecologist who suggested hormone therapy. “I could not tolerate it,” Peggy recalls.

Beating the odds is old hat to Barbara Cremean. In 1998, after dropping her daughters off at school, she was hit head on by a drunk driver. "I was on my way to the most important meeting of my career—and my life changed in an instant," recalls Barbara. She underwent spinal fusion surgery and started the long road to recovery. Little did she know, her serious health problems had just begun – and she was only 37 years old.

Specialties

Treatment Focus

Chemotherapy; tyrosine kinase therapy; immunotherapy

Key Awards

Medical Oncology

Treatment Philosophy

I first had the opportunity to treat patients with sarcoma during my oncology fellowship training. I really enjoyed the challenge of this area of oncology because of the many types of tumors and their rarity. When I meet a patient, I work to be certain the pathologic diagnosis is correct and address what we need to do to treat the disease. I collaborate with Fox Chase pathologists, radiologists, surgeons, radiation oncologists and social workers to develop the right treatment plan. We meet as a team weekly at the Sarcoma multi-disciplinary tumor board to review individual patient cases and agree on the best management.

I am also committed to developing new therapies for patients with sarcomas. The strides made in improving cancer care have come from research and clinical trials. I work closely with scientists to better understand gastrointestinal stromal tumors and other sarcomas. I aim to have research studies as a treatment option for my sarcoma patients.

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